While construction and painting are still ongoing in Ayodhya’s three main roads now known as the ‘Ram Path’, ‘Ram Janmabhoomi Path’ and ‘Bhakti Path’, an estimate of between 4,000 and 4,500 shops and homes reportedly have been broken down or displaced.
Even as several across the country watch the consecration and its aftermath with bated breath, these spatial changes and socio-economic losses experienced by Ayodhya’s locals leave several questions. ZR, a Muslim man in his 40s who runs a marble and tiles business, said in resignation that they had “no choice but to comply” because all of this is part of the redevelopment and new layout.
He added, “Everyone is talking about the airport and hotels, about Amitabh Bachchan coming here and buying property now. But what about us locals? And not just Muslims, even Hindu shopkeepers have suffered. Homes and shops have been demolished, the entire look and feel of the place has been changed and forced to look all alike. Will this development bring back all these livelihoods?”